How to Escape from Prison AND Get Better Mixes

I only recently discovered it on Netflix, and my wife and I have been plowing through all four seasons like nobody’s business.

It’s essentially the story of a guy and his brother breaking out of prison.

There are a few valuable lessons in there for you. I’ve listed three of them below. Each lesson applies both if you’re breaking out of prison OR working on a mix.

And here they are:

* HAVE A PLAN *

PRISON: Hopping the fence and making a run for it is a BAD plan and will get you shot.

STUDIO: Know WHAT you’re trying to accomplish and HOW you’re gonna do it. Just saying, “I want this mix to sound great” isn’t good enough. You need to envision what that mix will sound like when you’re done with it, and have a specific plan of action to get you there.

* KEEP IT SIMPLE *

PRISON: Tunneling through the outer wall of a prison probably isn’t the simplest move. Climbing across a telephone line OVER the wall, however, IS a simpler, better choice.

STUDIO: Mixing is complex, no doubt about it. So is breaking out of a maximum security prison. BUT, just because it CAN be complicated doesn’t mean you should make things MORE complicated. If it takes you two EQ boosts to get the same tone as ONE EQ cut, go with the single cut.

* GET SOME HELP *

PRISON: You can’t pull this off by yourself. You need to make friends with both the mob boss and the prison warden. You’ll use those connections to help you break out.

STUDIO: You need help from others to improve your mixes. This could mean grabbing a beer with your buddy who also likes recording. Or it could mean getting feedback on your mixes from a few friends.

Heck, it could even mean paying somebody to teach you how to get better faster.